[nasional_list] [ppiindia] PROSTITUTION BEHIND THE VEIL
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- Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 01:04:53 +0100
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PROSTITUTION BEHIND THE VEIL
Prostitution behind the veil - photos by Nahid Persson
Director Nahid Persson
November 2004
Prostitution Behind the Veil is the intriguing story of two young
women in modern-day Teheran. Cosmo Doc presents the film.
MARRIED FOR A DAY
Minna and Fariba are neighbours and good friends. They support one
another. Both have to live under the pervasive curtailment of women's rights
and the double standards of today's Iranian society. They make a living walking
the streets looking for men. They have a choice between leaving their small
children at home alone or bringing them along when they have sex with men.
The film is a sympathetic portrait of the two women, exploring
their day-to-day life and the workings of prostitution in a country that bans
it and prosecutes adulterers, sometimes with the penalty of capital punishment.
Many of the clients find a way to buy sex and still comply with
Muslim law: they marry the women in what is called "Sighe," a temporary
marriage sanctioned in Shia Islam. Sighe can last from two hours up to 99
years. Both Minna and Fariba enter into Sighe with clients, and Fariba is in a
Sighe marriage with a neighbour, Habib, that lasts six months. Giving his
perspective on temporary marriage, Habib says that Sighe is a way to help poor
women, it is an act of mercy in the name of Allah.
The film follows the two women for more than a year. It describes
their middle-class backgrounds and their submission to treacherous men and
drugs. We see how Fariba manages to quit drugs and prostitution, only to find
herself temporarily married to a man who will not let her leave the house.
The film is narrated by the director, Nahid Persson, who fled Iran
20 years ago. Her commentary adds her perspective and contextual information to
the film's events. An element of the film is the difficulties faced by a female
director shooting a film. Filming prostitution in the street was hard and
dangerous, as is evident in the film. The director has to submit to the same
restraints as the film's two women in a ludicrously patriarchal society marked
by religious restrictions, oppression of women, and social decline. The story
of Minna and Fariba mirrors the greater story of Iranian society.
DOGGED BY THE SECURITY POLICY
In an e-mail interview with FILM the Swedish- Iranian director
Nahid Persson discusses the background for Prostitution Behind the Veil and the
difficulties of shooting in Iran.
"When I left Iran years ago, it was a country in chaos. When I
returned after 17 years of exile in Sweden, I was shocked by the state of
affairs. That people have a hard time is well known, but it was very depressing
and upsetting to see how bad it really was. The most obvious problems I saw
were widespread prostitution and a huge drug problem. Most people in the
western world have no idea what it is like. Despite severe punishments, drugs
are almost everywhere. When the Islamic government took power, alcohol was
banned, but drugs took its place.
"The authorities have lost control of the situation. Maybe they act
this way knowingly. Drug addicts are passive. They do not protest social
injustice.
"I know that I won't be able to return to Iran for many years
because of this film. The most important thing for me is making the sad state
of Iranian society known worldwide."
What was it like to shoot in Iran?
"I met Fariba by chance. Downtown, I met a man who sold prophecies.
He had a couple of birds pull cards out of a box for him. I was fascinated and
decided to make a film about him and his birds. We filmed him (Habib) for a few
days. One day we followed him back to his place, and there I met the two women
that I eventually became close with. At first, they were afraid to open up to
me, of course, but after a few days it got out that they were prostitutes and
drug addicts. They let me film them in all kinds of situations, even when they
were with a client.
"As long as we were shooting inside the house, everything was fine,
but there was always trouble when we went out in the streets. Once the security
police picked us up. They wanted the tapes. With some sleight of hand, I
managed to put the tapes in my pants pocket, and instead I gave them some old
tapes I had brought from Sweden. Iran is a Muslim nation and men are not
allowed to search women, so they led us to the police station where female
officers would pat us down. When we got there, they went inside, leaving me in
the car. I got the tapes out of my pocket and hid them under the car seat. A
short while later, they returned. They told us that the female officers had
gone home for the day. So now I had toget the tapes out again and put them back
in my pocket. It wasn't easy, but it turned out okay. I was politically active
before and after the revolution and I know how to deal with stupid police.
"The reason I continued shooting even though we were stopped so
often by the police was that I had been abroad for so long and didn't
understand how dangerous it really was. The two women with me wanted to leave
on several occasions, but stuck around because they were curious to see how I
handled the situation. There were several funny moments. Once, the police
ordered us to turn off the camera. I switched off the display and told them the
camera was off, but kept right on shooting (it's in the film). When the police
talked to me, I turned the camera on them. They were right in the frame, but
they didn't get it."
You shot and directed the film yourself?
"I did most of the camerawork, but I always brought along two other
people: a man as driver and bodyguard and someone with an extra camera. Often
there was so much going on, it was good to have two of us shooting."
What effect would you like the film to have?
"When I was in the revolution along with so many other young
people, we wanted to change the world, but now I am at an age where I would be
content to change just one thing. But I need to get close to the people in my
film. I feel for them. They are not just characters in my film - they are my
friends, my sisters.
"When I got to know Mina and Fariba, I felt a big responsibility.
Mina is the same age as my own daughter. I had maternal feelings for both of
them. And once in a while, I felt guilty that I was in the revolution but fled
to a safe country, and now I had to say goodbye to them. Everyday I said
goodbye to them was terrible.
"It is my hope that this film will make the world respond to the
situation in Iran. Human rights are nonexistent there. People don't matter in
Iran. They have no hope left.
"More than half the population are children and young people who
have never known what freedom or a normal life is like.
"My film should not just show how Iran changed after the
revolution. The film will be shown in a number of countries and I hope the
world will respond, not just watch.
"NAHID PERSSON Born 1960, Iran. Studied micro biology in Sweden and
founded a local radio station during this period of time. Started studies at
Film- och TV Skolan in 1993 and attended master class education in 2003- 2004.
Her previous films include: "Me and My Cousin" (2003), "The Last Days of Life"
(2002) and "End of Exile" (2000). Has won several prizes - among others for her
most recent film, "Prostitution Behind the Veil", which won first prize at
Marseille Festival International du Documentaire.
This article was previously published in the magazine FILM #39
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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